hungry

adjective

hun·​gry ˈhəŋ-grē How to pronounce hungry (audio)
hungrier; hungriest
1
a
: feeling an uneasy or painful sensation from lack of food : feeling hunger
b
: characterized by or characteristic of hunger or appetite
a wolf with hungry eyes
2
a
: eager, avid
hungry for affection
b
: strongly motivated (as by ambition)
hungry investors
a power-hungry politician
3
: not rich or fertile : barren
a hungry soil
hungrily adverb
hungriness noun

Examples of hungry in a Sentence

There are millions of hungry people throughout the world. That girl is always hungry. The prisoners' families were hungry for more information. They were hungry to learn more.
Recent Examples on the Web My point is, the hits outnumber the misses — and there’s no going home hungry. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 But the flowers’ success is dependent on various factors, including additional spring rains, temperature changes and hungry insects. Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024 Bezalel Smotrich holding up flour at the Port of Ashdod for at least five weeks, despite the fact that Prime Minister Netanyahu promised President Biden that that flour would go to hungry, starving people. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2024 Amid the chaos of a busy late-night restaurant at the hour hungry partygoers begin to spill out of clubs and into establishments like Shell Shock'd where alcohol-absorbing bites are served, Moon collects orders with the calm of a hippie and the Southern undertones of a Detroit accent. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 The collapse in the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza has produced gut-wrenching outcomes: Children dying of malnourishment, desperately hungry Palestinians rushing aid trucks to feed their families, and on Thursday morning, scores killed trying to access aid from a convoy going into Gaza City. Npr Washington Desk, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 From the deliciously juicy blue crab with mud crab emulsion and black pepper jam, to six different preparations of 14-day aged duck, including roasted duck brain and crispy duck, nobody is going home hungry. Isabelle Kliger, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 People are hungry for good music and artists don’t want to fit in a box. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 24 Feb. 2024 However, the champ — hungry for his third Super Bowl win — understandably didn't have his sights set past Sunday's Big Game. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hungry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English hungrig; akin to Old English hungor

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of hungry was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near hungry

Cite this Entry

“Hungry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hungry. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hungry

adjective
hun·​gry ˈhəŋ-grē How to pronounce hungry (audio)
hungrier; hungriest
1
: feeling or showing hunger
2
: eager, avid
hungry for all the details
hungrily adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on hungry

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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